…the free fish production program is aimed at bringing youths into the agricultural businesses.
The iNews Times reports that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency (FABDA) are set to train 200 youths in Anambra State on fish production.
The training, under 2nd phase of ECOWAS Commission and Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chain Business Development Partnership is anchored by FABDA with legs at the Adazi-Nnukwu Fish Production Village Business franchise and the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam.
The initiative is in line with the youth employability program of the ECOWAS Commission and aligned to the Youth friendly environment created by the Anambra State government.
The program is aimed at bringing youths into the agricultural businesses, involves the West Africa Secretariat for Ecological and Organic Agriculture (WASEOA) to coordinate some training Centers including the Taenprowiz Production System and Technology Partnership Center, Anambra State, Nigeria.
It also aligns with the mandate of FABDA which is the state Agency overseeing the Fisheries and Aquaculture economy in Anambra State.
In line with Section 5 of FABDA Law, Anambra State through FABDA has set a target to achieve local production of a minimum of 51,000 metric tons of Table Fish per annum to actualize self-sufficiency in Table Fish production.
Speaking during an engagement with key youth leadership, Managing Director and CEO of FABDA, Emeka Iloghalu said the ECOWAS-sponsored youth training is coming at a time the State Government has put a high premium on human capital and economic development centered on the youths.
Iloghalu who is also the Training Co-ordinator said the participants under the 2nd batch would be trained on improved production system for fish called the TAENPROWIZ Fish Production Business System and Technology, and how to apply the model to produce fish in a professional and precise way.
According to him, the granting of the second phase was as a result of the significant success recorded in the first phase.
On the expected outcomes from the ECOWAS partnership, Iloghalu said the training Centre and the various sites would become better now than when the ECOWAS Commission support came, and that the youths would emerge from the training successfully trained and equipped with the new technical skills to professionally run Fish businesses.
“It is also expected that some of these youths will go into fish entrepreneurship, while some can work or manage fish establishments for third parties.
“The Commission is looking forward to using the initiative to increase the population of youths within the ECOWAS region who are engaged in the Agribusinesses.
“This is because the agricultural sector is a strategic sector that has the capacity to create wealth and employment, as well as contribute to solving the food security question in the region,” he said.
Iloghalu noted that before the ECOWAS youth training, the FABDA has been on its mandate to drive and industrialize the Fisheries and Aquaculture economy in Anambra, in line with some of its targets including to achieve 51 million kg of table fish production per annum.
According to him, that is why they are focused on training the youths on Table Fish Production business using the only business Solution for fish production currently, which is the TAENPROWIZ Fish Production Business System and Technology.
With this, he noted, “The state can do massive production of Table Fish at industrial level.
“And as we are doing that, the seed fish component of the value chain will follow it normally, as well as the brood stock production and the processed fish aspect.
“So, it is a strategic way and direction for strengthening the businesses along the fisheries and aquaculture value chain, starting from Anambra State, extending to Southeast, to Nigeria, ECOWAS and Africa at large.
“So, we may be at the nucleus and pilot stage, but we look forward to getting it strengthened and the techniques multiplied for greater results.”
Speaking at the event, the State Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Surveyor Ambassador Obi Emeka Chukwudi described agriculture as the way to go, adding that the fisheries and aquaculture area, with its value chain, can be leveraged to empower youths in the state to be self-reliant, as well as empower others.
He extolled the strategic collaborations being explored by the FABDA to get youths in the state to embrace the opportunities in the fisheries area, assuring that the NYCN will mobilize its members across the communities of the state to participate in the training.
“In NYCN, we are ever-ready to partner with any group or organization with genuine intent to advance the cause of youths.
“With what the FABDA is doing with the ECOWAS commission and the TAENPROWIZ Technology, we are hopeful that in the near future, we will begin to have young people who would have excelled in the fisheries and aquaculture area, and will be willing to support others,” Obi enthused.
In their remarks, the President of the Youth Wing of the Anambra State Association of Town Unions, ASATU, Comrade Ken Okoli and the State youth leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Dr Tochukwu Obiadi expressed their solidarity with the initiative, saying that more needs to be done to get the youths adequately empowered.
Under the second phase of the training, the Taenprowiz Fish Production Business System and Technology is evolving to incorporate the Ecological Organic Aquaculture principles to extend to Agroecological production of crops from the nutrients rich Fish wastewater, thereby imbibing the practice of respecting the environment while pursuing food security via promoting food systems with Fish production and Aquaculture as the driver.
The training opportunity is for any youth between the ages of 18 and 35 at 4th of June 2025 and interested to become successful in professional, corporate or personal investments in the Fish business as entrepreneur, investor or worker in the Fish Production and Trading Business.
